Resources | Papers

  • E. Croose et al (2021) Assessing the detectability of the Irish stoat Mustela erminea hibernica using two camera trap‑based survey methods

    The Irish stoat M. erminea hibernica is a subspecies endemic to Ireland and the Isle of Man but, despite being widespread in Ireland, no information exists on its population status due to the difficulty of detection. This study compared the efficacy of two camera trap methods (the Mostela, a modified camera trapping device, and an external camera trap Read More


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  • Catherine O’Reilly, Peter Turner, Declan T. O’Mahony, Joshua P. Twining, David G. Tosh, Christopher Smal, Kate McAney, Ciara Powell, John Power & Denise B. O’Meara (2021) Not out of the woods yet: genetic insights related to the recovery of the pine marten (Martes martes) in Ireland

    In this study, the history of the pine marten (Martes martes) in Ireland is reviewed, revealing that the population has undergone several retractions and expansions over the last few hundred years. Here, we consider the genetic legacy of this flux in fortunes and its likely impacts upon the conservation and future recovery of the species. Read More


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  • Croose, E. & Carter, S.P. (2019). A pilot study of a novel method to monitor weasels (Mustela nivalis) and stoats (M. erminea) in Britain

    In this paper, we present the results of a pilot study to trial the efficacy of a novel method for detecting the distribution of weasels and stoats in Britain, and we discuss its potential application for wide-scale monitoring.


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  • The Vincent Wildlife Trust’s Irish bat box schemes report

    This report presents an analysis of The Vincent Wildlife Trust’s Irish bat box project and results of an online survey and was possible due to a grant from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.


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  • Jordan, N. et al. (2011). The Great North Pine Marten Pursuit Report

    The Great North Pine Marten Pursuit surveys were initiated in order to collect pine marten DNA from extant populations of England. They aimed to determine the presence of pine martens in specific areas, and so allow a focussing of future conservation resources in those areas; and to determine the genetic haplotype of the pine martens.


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  • Jordan, N. (2011). Strategy for restoring the pine marten to England and Wales

    Although sightings reports and occasional genetic evidence confirm the presence of the pine marten in parts of England and Wales, limited success in their detection despite concerted efforts suggest that they are not abundant and that populations have failed to recover from their historical decline.


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  • McAney K. (2010) A pilot study to test the use of hair tubes to detect the Irish stoat along hedgerows in County Galway

    In Ireland the Irish stoat is considered to be a near-endemic subspecies, with >90% of the global population estimated to occur in the country. This study involved laying plastic baited hair tubes, 10 per 200 metres at 20m intervals, along hedgerows in the bottom left 1km2 of 10km grid squares across County Galway.


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  • Morris, C. (2010) Cool Tower for lesser horseshoe bats

    Lesser horseshoe bats, like all bats living in temperate regions, require a range of micro-environments in their summer roosts. The provision of cooler roosting areas for this species is an important consideration when developing mitigation plans or suggesting enhancements for existing roosts.


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  • Poulton, S. (2006). An analysis of the usage of bat boxes

    This analysis investigates the possibility that batboxes can be used to record the presence of bats in areas where they were previously unknown. The datasets used in this analysis have been derived from the VWT Batbox Database. This holds data from 52 sites collected over 20 years from England, Wales and Ireland.


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  • Poulton, S. et al. (2006). A quality scoring system for pine marten sightings

    Rare carnivores live at low densities and detection problems make cost-effective census programmes over wide areas difficult. We developed a system based on structured interviews to record details of ad hoc sightings of pine martens reported in England and Wales by casual observers in response to targeted publicity.


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